couchant

[ kou-chuhnt ]

/ ˈkaʊ tʃənt /

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adjective

lying down; crouching.

Heraldry. (of an animal) represented as lying on its stomach with its hind legs and forelegs pointed forward.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of couchant

1400–50; late Middle English <Middle French, present participle of coucher to lay or lie. See couch, -ant

Words nearby couchant

cotyloid, cotylosaur, cotype, coucal, couch, couchant, couché, coucher, couchette, couch grass, couching

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use couchant in a sentence

It has his effigy in armour, with an ermined mantle, his feet leaning against a lion couchant.
East Anglia|J. Ewing Ritchie
They saw the great cathedral lying couchant above the plain.
Sons and Lovers|David Herbert Lawrence
They are weak sops to our tame lion couchant offered in doubtful fear and trembling.
The Sorrows of Satan|Marie Corelli
The two huge couchant lions at either end of the steps are of much later date than these.
Cathedral Cities of Italy|William Wiehe Collins

Occasionally, as in the crest of Marwood, the ram will be found couchant.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry|Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

British Dictionary definitions for couchant

couchant

/ (ˈkaʊtʃənt) /

adjective

(usually postpositive) heraldry in a lying positiona lion couchant

Word Origin for couchant

C15: from French: lying, from Old French coucher to lay down; see couch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012